Niger

Niger is located in the heart of the Sahel, the transitional zone between the tropical West African coast and the Sahara Desert and is bordered by Algeria and Libya in the North, Chad in the East, Nigeria and Benin in the South, Burkina Faso in the South-west, and Mali in the West. Northern Niger is part of the Sahara, with vast expanses of rocky and sandy wilderness broken by occasional oases. Its climate varies with distinct seasons and is generally very hot. During autumn, a hot, dry wind carries dust from the Sahara. The terrain consists of desert plains, dunes and flat to rolling plains in the South and hills in the North.